Various forms of attaching structures have been heretofore provided for support from the upper end of a ladder and designed to be utilized in securing the upper end of the ladder to an object against which the upper end of the ladder is inclined. However, most of these previously known structures are relatively complex in nature and include spring biased or other clamping structures or hooks for clamping or hooked engagement with the structure against which the associated ladder is engaged. Such clamp structures and hooks are, in many instances, specifically designed for engaging a particular portion of the structure against which the upper end of the associated ladder rests and include those which are specifically designed to engage extended roofing panels, gutters and other building portions which may be found along upper peripheral portions of buildings.
While these previously known clamp structures and hooks are operative in specific environmental uses of ladders, they are not particularly well adapted for various different environmental uses. Accordingly, a need exists for an attachment for a ladder which may be utilized to rigidly engage and support a ladder relative to various different structures against which the upper end of the ladder may be leaned and with the attachment constructed in a manner whereby the structures engaged thereby are rigidly clamped between the attachment and the ladder so as to render the attachment more readily adaptable for use in anchoring the upper end of the associated ladder against movement relative to various differrent types of structures, even against the application of abnormal pressures tending to shift the ladder reelative to the associated structure.
Various forms of ladder attachments including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 866,078, 1,374,060, 3,603,431 and 3,712,419.